https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/geology/RSS feed for GeologyenFri, 25 Sep 2026 19:32:57 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/seven-places-in-europe-that-legends-say-were-built-by-giants-devils-or-dragons-180989571/Bridges, mountains, caves and rock formations that seem impossible to explain become magnets for folkloreFri, 25 Sep 2026 19:32:57 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/seven-places-in-europe-that-legends-say-were-built-by-giants-devils-or-dragons-180989571/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/mercury-has-wrinkles-that-show-its-shrinking-now-scientists-say-the-planet-has-shriveled-far-more-than-we-previously-thought-180989532/A new study suggests that our solar system’s smallest planet has shrunk by up to 30 percent since its birth roughly 4.5 billion years agoTue, 22 Sep 2026 19:12:34 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/mercury-has-wrinkles-that-show-its-shrinking-now-scientists-say-the-planet-has-shriveled-far-more-than-we-previously-thought-180989532/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-moon-just-got-a-massive-new-crater-thats-wider-than-two-end-to-end-football-fields-its-a-once-in-a-lifetime-observation-180989526/The impact crater was formed in 2024 when an object the size of a multistory building crashed into our lunar companion. The resulting divot is about 728 feet wide and 141 feet deepFri, 18 Sep 2026 19:04:38 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-moon-just-got-a-massive-new-crater-thats-wider-than-two-end-to-end-football-fields-its-a-once-in-a-lifetime-observation-180989526/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/billions-of-years-ago-venus-may-have-had-a-moon-which-the-planet-promptly-gobbled-up-study-suggests-180989510/Scientists have puzzled over why the planet dubbed "Earth's twin" doesn't have a moon. Computer simulations hint that if Venus ever did have one, it probably would've cannibalized its companionThu, 17 Sep 2026 15:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/billions-of-years-ago-venus-may-have-had-a-moon-which-the-planet-promptly-gobbled-up-study-suggests-180989510/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-lake-in-canada-got-a-mysterious-new-island-then-it-disappeared-and-now-its-back-180989442/The floating forest appeared in a well-mapped reservoir in British Columbia. Its presence and vanishing act have puzzled locals and officials at the power utility that operates the lake, but other similar islands exist elsewhereThu, 03 Sep 2026 19:15:52 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-lake-in-canada-got-a-mysterious-new-island-then-it-disappeared-and-now-its-back-180989442/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/mars-southern-half-is-weirdly-warm-underground-the-thermal-anomaly-might-explain-why-the-planets-hemispheres-look-so-different-180989424/Researchers used a novel technique to figure out what's going on inside the Red Planet. The work suggests that the interior of the southern hemisphere is hundreds of degrees hotter than that of the northern hemisphere and partially moltenTue, 01 Sep 2026 15:47:38 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/mars-southern-half-is-weirdly-warm-underground-the-thermal-anomaly-might-explain-why-the-planets-hemispheres-look-so-different-180989424/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-triggered-the-devastating-floods-in-nepal-and-tibet-and-are-we-due-for-more-in-the-future-heres-what-scientists-know-so-far-180989426/Natural hazards researchers suspect that a landslide involving a glacier triggered the event, and they say more could happen because of human-caused climate changeMon, 31 Aug 2026 20:50:28 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-triggered-the-devastating-floods-in-nepal-and-tibet-and-are-we-due-for-more-in-the-future-heres-what-scientists-know-so-far-180989426/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/historical-pollution-not-current-industrial-emissions-damaged-worlds-largest-oldest-collection-ancient-rock-art-180989416/Researchers say that past exposure to sulfur dioxide is likely to blame for the increased porosity of the Murujuga rock art created by the Ngarda-Ngarli people tens of thousands of years agoFri, 28 Aug 2026 18:04:36 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/historical-pollution-not-current-industrial-emissions-damaged-worlds-largest-oldest-collection-ancient-rock-art-180989416/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hunger-stones-resurface-europe-bringing-centuries-old-warnings-back-into-view-rivers-hit-historic-lows-180989387/As drought exposes stretches of riverbed in central Europe, markers carved by past generations to record low water levels are emerging once againWed, 26 Aug 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hunger-stones-resurface-europe-bringing-centuries-old-warnings-back-into-view-rivers-hit-historic-lows-180989387/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-does-antarcticas-blood-falls-spew-ruby-red-water-microbes-offer-new-clues-about-the-geologic-features-ancient-origins-180989271/The falls contain saltwater rich with iron, which oxidizes and turns red when exposed to air. A new study provides further evidence that the brine probably comes from ocean water trapped when flood waters retreated millions of years agoThu, 06 Aug 2026 20:26:01 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-does-antarcticas-blood-falls-spew-ruby-red-water-microbes-offer-new-clues-about-the-geologic-features-ancient-origins-180989271/